Ordinary Act of Bravery
by justsurvivesomehow
Summary: 'Only the dead have seen the end of the war.' It will be a Ménage à trois pairing. {Eric/Liyra/Jericho} or {EriLiyRicho}
1. Prologue

_'History will be kind to me for I intend to write it' ~ Winston Churchill_

My entire life I've lived by the rules of Erudite; I've sat underneath the thumb of my mother, and allowed her to dictate my every move and eradicate the thought of defecting. To her, knowledge is the only thing that could possibly solve a conflict. You couldn't possibly solve a conflict with fighting.

'We believe in ordinary acts of bravery'. That's how I thought. That's how I am. I am Dauntless, I will be Dauntless. That's where I'm going.

I knew, without a single doubt, that come time for the choosing ceremony, I would march up to Marcus Eaton. I can picture myself grabbing the ceremonial knife, I can see me cutting my palm. I wouldn't hesitate, I wouldn't even glance at the bowl filled with crystal clear water, the bowl of my current faction. I would look directly at the Dauntless bowl and spill my blood upon the sizzling coals.

I would be Dauntless.

Free from my parents, my mother, my faction. My abusers.

Whatever my tests said, if it said I should go to Amity, Candor, or Abnegation. If I should stay in Erudite. That would not be happening.

'I'm glad you know your own mind well enough to make that decision.' Those would be the words Jeanine Matthews would say to me. No matter how patronizing she says it...

I would ignore her.


	2. Chapter 1

_'I'm looking at you through the glass, don't know how much time has passed' ~ Stone Sour_

 **07:45 hours ~ Erudite HQ**

"Dehliyra get up!" My younger brother, Rowan, yelled above me as he shook my shoulders frantically. "Hurry before Mother comes and finds you still in bed!" His words jarred a sense of foreboding within me and I reluctantly forced my eyes to open.

"What time is it?" I asked him softly while swiping at my eyes to remove the sleep that remained.

"Almost 08:00 hours. Mother will be sending Father in soon if you aren't up and ready," he answers and I smile gratefully at him.

Today was the day we would be given the serum. A day that I've been looking forward to ever since I could remember. This would be my moment. My chance to get out of here. Rowan nudged me and gave me a meaningful look. For a small second I felt the tiniest amount of guilt that I'd been feeling since I'd made my decision. Leaving Erudite would paint a target onto my brothers back, and in a way, that made me want to stay.

That wasn't an option. Not with my parents. Not with my mother.

Rowan is 14 years old, so I wouldn't have to worry too much about him. We would both get out. We would both be free.

I reluctantly rolled out of my bed and nudged my brother to the door, "Go before Father comes." He made it to the door and I called to him softly, "Rowan? Don't forget that I love you Blue Jay."

He smiled softly at me, "Love you more Red Bird."

"Not possible." I insisted.

He shot me a playful glare, "Yes possible."

He slid out of my door way with a quietness that came with years of practice. It brought tears to my eyes knowing that my brother had adapted his life to remaining hidden in the shadows. He was ridiculously smart. More so than I have ever been. More so than I would ever be. He would be great in Erudite, of that I held no doubt. Just as I had no doubt that he would be leaving Erudite when the time came.

I slid across the hard wood floors of my room, with little to no sound, and slipped through the doorway of my bathroom. I wasted no time in doing the necessities and covering my face with foundation to hide the scars from my younger years.

With that done and taken care of, I forced myself into the atrocious garb that I wore from day one. Erudite blue. I'd decided long ago that it just wasn't my color. I did one last check over in my mirror trying to make sure that I would fit my parents impossible perfect persona. I nodded my head and stepped out into the hallway coming face to face with my Father.

"Dehliyra, I thought I was going to have to punish you. Get to the dining room for breakfast." My Fathers face contained a hint of resentment. He was no doubt looking forward to said punishment.

'It's all he has to look forward to.' I thought snidely. My father was a man who transferred to the wrong faction. He had started of in Candor those many years ago and was reminiscent of the abusers they told us about in our History classes. He should have transferred to Dauntless. Then perhaps he would've taken his anger out on the poor initiates. Eventually killing one, then he would have been given a Farewell.

We'd been taught in my Faction History class that when a Dauntless did something terrible, they were given a Farewell. Now it depended on just how bad a crime was that determined the type of Farewell you would receive. If you murdered someone in cold blood, you were beaten until the brink of death and then thrown to the Factionless.

Just the simple thought of that sent a hint of a smirk to my face. I squashed it down as soon as it appeared and sent a quick glance to my father before walking down the hallway.

Once I reached the dining room, I saw that my mother had already sat down with her glass of orange juice raised to her lips. Rowan sat beside her and was picking at his food. Mother gave me a look and a sneer took hold of her face, "Honestly Dehliyra, could you have picked a more atrocious outfit! If you go about in public looking like that, how do you think that reflects on James and I?" She 'hmmed' and I made sure to not lock eyes with her. "How do you think this reflects on Erudite as a faction!"

"Would you prefer that I go and change, Mother?" I asked softly. She let out a noise of disgust. I could see her making a motion to my father and seconds later he held a tight grip on my arm.

"No, you'll sit. You've already wasted enough time this morning."

Father shoved me into my seat and then set a plate of food in front of me with a glass of lemon lime soda to the side. I glanced up and caught eyes with my brother and he smiled sadly at me.

"I expect you to do well today, Dehliyra. Do not disappoint me. Do you understand." Her voice was like a blade stabbing into my heart.

I replied to her almost robotically, "Yes, Mother."

"Good, I'd hate to have you showing up at the Choosing Ceremony in a pant suit. That just isn't proper." A smirk was firmly situated on her face and I ducked my head.

"I'm sure she'll get Erudite love. There isn't anything to worry about. Like she'd honestly qualify for anything else." My Father's smooth voice cut into the tension that had settled upon the room. Mother shot him a withering glare that sends the scientists below her into bumbling messes.

"I'm sure." Her lips were pressed into a thin line.

I mentally cringed at my families behavior. This was a good morning at least. Nothing to horrible has occurred.

Nothing bad should happen either way! This isn't how a family should be, but this is how mine is.

'God, I couldn't wait to get out of here.'


	3. Chapter 2

_'The first step towards knowledge is to know that we are ignorant' ~ Richard Cecil_

 **09:30 hours ~ School Hallway**

"Dehliyra Seward and Leon Santiago." I took in a deep breath as my name was called. I stood along with a boy from Candor who looked anything but confident. I force my chin to be held high as I walked up to the lady in her Abnegation grey clothing. "Dehliyra, you'll be with me. Leon, you'll go to the room that's on the right of ours, okay?"

The boy shuffled nervously and slowly nodded his head. "Is this going to hurt?" he asked the lady. That was a question that I wanted answered as well.

"No, it's painless," she smiled softly, "Follow me please." I glanced at the boy and he gave me a weary grin.

We followed her down a long hallway that's as brightly lit as the hallways in Erudite. It makes sense considering we are the creators of the Serum. She stopped us at a large section of doors and pointed the boy to his room.

He shuffled from foot to foot. Something must have come over him because his eyes now held a fierce glint in them. He turned to me and gave me a wide grin, "Good luck." I smiled back at him.

"To you as well." I replied.

Logically speaking, I would not need 'luck.' The tests were simple, you are aware of the tests, but everything is set out as it should be. You would not need to think because your personality would deem what was appropriate for whatever situations would arise. However, I understood the sentiment that was behind the words.

I stepped inside the doorway that the lady had kindly held open for me and gave her a smile that was deemed for all of the Abnegation from my faction.

The room was devoid of color and two of the walls were actually mirrors. I glanced at myself in the mirror to see if I looked as anxious as I felt. I looked like my normal 'confident' self.

In the center of the room there was a seat that was hooked up to cables and monitors. I walked directly over to it and sat down, vaguely aware of the door closing us in.

"My name is Natalie Prior and I will be administering you your tests today." She smiled at me softly and handed over a small glass of serum. She placed two electrodes to my temples and told me to drink. "This will be painless, you will of course go through a series of tests that determine what your future faction will be," I cut her off.

"Yes, thank you. I already know this." I knew it was rude of me to say it, but I didn't want to sit through a lecture when I already knew the facts. I downed the liquid and gritted my teeth as it slid down my throat, it's not that it tasted bad, but rather it had no taste at all. I wordlessly handed her the empty glass and laid my head against the headrest.

"You will slip under in about a minute." My eyes found hers and she stared passively at me, "Be brave." I closed my eyes.

'Be brave.' The words echoed in my head. That's exactly what I wanted to be. Who I wanted to be.

"How long will it approximately take?" I decided to ask her that. It's something that we were never told. After several seconds of hearing no answer, I opened my eyes and said, "I said how long will it... " She was gone.

I sat up quickly and glanced around. Nothing was in the room other than myself, the chair, and a door that was opposite of where it'd been originally. I sat up and my legs were just barely touching the floor with how I was sitting. I stood swiftly and walked straight up to the door and pushed it open.

As I went to walk out, my foot slipped off the edge of the building. I screamed and latched on to a pole that was against the edge of the roof. I quickly regained my footing and let out a breath of relief. I shifted my weight slightly so that I could see what was over the edge.

"What the hell?" Nothing was below me. About a quarter of the way down, fog had settled around the building and as far as I could see, there was nothing that would tell me just how far down a jump it would be.

"Choose." I spun around and came face to face with an Abnegation man.

"What are you talking about?" The man gestured to a phone that I hadn't seen attached to the pole I was holding.

"Choose." My eyebrows furrowed and I took a closer look at the phone.

There were absolutely no numbers on it for me to dial out with. What is this some kind of game. I went to say something when letters caught my eye on a gold plate.

'Dauntless Support Line' The line that rescued people from dangerous situation.

"What happens if I jump?" I asked the man, I turned to look at him only to discover that he was no longer there. "Of course." I glanced over the edge once more before turning back to the phone. I hesitantly picked it up.

It rang exactly two times before someone picked up, "Dauntless Support Line, what do you need?" A male voice answered. I went to answer him but found that I didn't want there help. I wanted to do this on my own. I let the phone slip from my fingers.

And then I jumped.

I landed solidly on my feet and found myself in a sea of people who were all moving around me trying to make there morning commute to work. After several seconds of me just standing there, I turned and began to walk with the crowd. I didn't know where I was going. This entire place was not Chicago, or if it was, it was from before.

Up ahead I saw a bus stop and a man standing while reading a newspaper. I decided to cautiously approach the man to see what was going on.

"Excuse me, Mister? Where am I?" I asked him politely.

He glanced over at me and shrugged, "Why, you're in Chicago. Say you wouldn't happen to know who this man is would you?" I glanced down at the offered picture. I'd never seen the man before in my life, but somehow, I knew exactly who that is.

"I'm sorry, I don't know who that is." I lied to the man and went to walk away when he grabbed my arm.

"You're lying. You know exactly who this is don't you!"

I was astounded with how violent this man became. His eyes were crazed and lit with a bright fire. I hissed at the man and tried to shrug out of his grip, "I said I didn't know who it was. Unhand me this instance." I told the man coldly. He bared his teeth at me like a wild animal and his hand went from my wrist to my throat.

"You sure about that, little girl, want to keep lying? Huh!" His voice rose to a shout. I gasped as his hand tightened on my windpipe and with little to no though, I brought my knee up and kneed the bastard.

When he released me he went down in pain, I pulled my fist back and launched it at his eye, he went back and was now on his back.

"I told you to let me go didn't I?" I hissed and kicked the man in the stomach before taking off in a dead run.

I sat up with a gasp and grabbed for my throat, "You're alright." I felt a hand on my shoulder, attempting to be soothing. "You're okay."

"I thought you said it wasn't going to hurt?" I asked her weakly.

"It's different for each person." She responded and pulled away.

Different for each person my ass. That had felt unbelievably real. I can't believe I had to go through that just to determine which faction I belonged it.

My Faction!

"What did I get!" I grabbed hold of the woman's wrist. She glanced down at my hand and raised an eyebrow.

"Dauntless. You received Dauntless."

That was where I belonged. Dauntless.

 **Pay attention to Leon, dear ones, for he shall be back. :)**


	4. Chapter 3

_'Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned' ~Buddha_

 **20:20 hours ~ Erudite Apartment**

"Dehliyra, I trust you did well on your aptitude test?" My mother spoke calmly. Her disgust was plain as day on her face.

I'd had about an hour to myself before my brother and parents had come home. During that time, I'd practiced my story in the mirror until most, if not all, signs of my lying had been hidden. One of the good things about Erudite is that we were excellent liars.

My mother was just excellent at detecting it.

If I, for some reason, chose Candor... I wouldn't have been a very popular person. Lying, in my life, was second nature; it's something that I had learned and been doing from and extremely young age.

"It went very well. All of the tests I went through I strategically made my way through to the end." I spoke, wishing that I could just melt into my seat.

"Very well. I hope, for your sake, that you aren't lying. I could go to Jeanine this very second and request your footage. You are aware of this fact, yes?" Her eyes were as sharp as a hawk, they held a certain hint of sadistic glee at watching me squirm.

I prayed to all of the Gods that I could think of that she didn't notice that I was beginning to perspire and that I was shifting in my chair uneasily. With as little motion as possible, I straightened my spine.

"I understand perfectly, mother," she gave me not chance to even flinch before her hand had snaked out and hit me. All I was even aware of was the sound and the stinging pain that left behind. My hand came up instantly to clutch my burning cheek.

"You'll do well to watch your tongue with me, pet," she paused and took a sip of her wine, "you'll retire to your room. No food for the rest of the night. Your father will pay you a visit and after you'll remain in your room until I come and get you for the ceremony in the morning." The glee that shone in her eyes were now a strong blaze.

"Yes, ma'am," I whispered inaudibly.

I stood from the table and bowed my head as was expected and made my exit from the room.

As soon as my feet touched the threshold for my room, I closed the door as quietly as possible. I ran over to my bed and threw my self on it. I wish I could just hide myself in the confines of the blankets and pillows. What waited for me when my Mother and Father came in would not be pleasant. What's worse is that they will keep me waiting. Put me on edge, make me think they aren't coming, as soon as I've relaxed... they'll be on me.

Beating me.

They won't make it so that it's noticeable. Nowhere visible. My face and arms were off limits. They'd made the mistake once and only once. My father had gotten a very belittling scolding from my mother that very same day.

I fled to the corner of my room that held my books lined on shelves in alphabetic order and began searching for a book to keep me company.

I pulled out The Philosophical Works of John Locke: Volume 1 and prepared to read the book for the 4th time in a years time.

John Locke was a man that lived many years ago and had written many books and was in the 21st century, considered to be the 'Father of Classical Liberalism.' That was before the war. Before the factions. Before my time.

 **23:34 hours ~ Erudite Apartment**

I was on the verge of sleep, the clock in my room read the time of 23:34 hours, when my father entered the room.

The second his footsteps could be heard against the flooring of my creaky wooden floor, I was awake and preparing for the inevitable beating I would receive from him. My muscles involuntarily tensed and the overwhelming feeling I had to escape crept up on me. Why me? What have I ever done to deserve this? I've never stolen, never overindulged... so why?

"Dehliyra," he sang to me and a shiver ran down my spine, "I've got something special for you tonight."

He gripped my hair and pulled me from my bed, my book from earlier landing on the floor with a thud. I was dangling in the air by my hair and it hurt so much! My hands gripped his wrists in an attempt to have him release me.

"Father, please!" I cried out in anguish as he tossed me on the floor.

"Remove your shirt, girl." I watched in horror as he undid the belt at his pants and had this minute of desperation as the thought of what was to come. "Your shirt. Now!" I did as was said, albeit very, very reluctantly. "Good. Turn and brace yourself on the bed."

What came next was so unexpected that I shrieked in surprise. His belt cracked down on my skin and the pain that came next felt like a burning fire. He gave me no time to recover as he continued to hit my flesh. I could feel the welts growing on my back.

I don't know how long it went on for before he finally stopped.

All I was aware of was the pain.

There isn't anything I want more than to be out of this hell.

He picked me back up by my hair and I whimpered as slammed me against the wall. His fists hit my stomach repeatedly, I wanted it to just be over.

I gagged as he hit a particularly sensitive part of my stomach and it churned and rolled around. I was so close to vomiting when he finally stopped once more.

He leaned in close and whispered, "I wouldn't transfer, darling. This will just be transferred onto your brother if you do."

"Fuck you." I whispered weakly. That earned me a slap across the face.

"Watch your mouth." He threw me onto the floor. "Disgusting."

I watched him as he left the room, my vision blurring and turning dark. It wouldn't be long until I passed out... until I felt nothing. That sounded good right about now.


	5. Chapter 4

_'It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends' ~ J.K. Rowling_

 **07:30 hours ~ Erudite Apartment**

I winced as I applied foundation to my face. Father had left a hand print on my face when he'd hit me last night. I could be vindictive and leave it so people would see. What I lived through every day for the past 16 years.

My breath caught in my throat when I realized that today, today I could leave and never come back. I'd never have to return. I had a brief moment of guilt when I realized that I would be leaving Rowan here to fend for himself. He could survive on his own.

I don't belong here. The tests said so. The tests said Dauntless. It didn't say Erudite. I don't qualify for this faction. It would be illogical for me to stay. The simple fact that Mother thinks differently makes me wonder if she truly doesn't belong in Erudite.

We're told from the very very beginning to trust the tests.

I would say, if the circumstances were different, that she was being sentimental, that she was willingly breaking Faction before Blood, but that just wasn't the truth. The truth was that she was a cold-hearted bitch. Plain and simple.

She's been controlling every part of my life since birth. Beating me since I could remember.

Once my face was presentable, and the bruise undetectable, I turned towards my mirror and studied myself.

With the way my face was structured and the complexion of my skin, I was considered to be text book beautiful. The kind of face that was described in books as beautiful. The way that the women before the Faction system wanted to look like. I've never considered myself in that way. I've always just been me.

I don't draw attention to myself like the vain pretty girls from Candor. I don't act like the ditzy beautiful girls from Amity. I've always just been plain old Dehliyra from Erudite. That changes today.

I unzipped the back of my skirt and removed it, walking to my closet as I did so. I remained in the black heels that was customary for this faction, and grabbed a pair of long blue pants that would match my jacket and didn't clash horribly with the blouse that I wore. I slipped them on and smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles that sat in the seams. Inhaling deeply, I sat on my bed and waited.

Mother didn't keep my waiting long. She didn't knock, just opened the door and said, "Get up. What are you wearing? Are you trying to pass as a male?"

I didn't bother questioning why she would think that. Females in Erudite wore pants on a regular basis, but this was my mother and she didn't make sense to me half of the time.

"Would you like me to change?" I questioned softly.

"No. It is too late now. You've taken enough time up as is. We need to get to the ceremony. Now." I nodded at her and slipped past her, just walking out the door when she gripped my wrist and studied my face. "Your father wasn't careful last night. He bruised you." The simplicity of that statement enraged me. I breathed calmly and said nothing in response, "He and I will have to discuss this after the ceremony." She released me and pushed me forward, nails pressed into the small of my back.

I shared a glance with Rowan, he nodded slightly and you can't imagine how much passed between us right then. He would be okay. I smiled softly at him.

 **09:30 hours ~ Choosing Ceremony**

Jeanine stood tall and proud from her stance in the center of the auditorium, she wore the usual Erudite blouse and skirt set. Her presence commanded attention and as she called for the attention of the body of people before her, it didn't take long for the room to quiet down.

A few Dauntless called out jeers towards the last person who had walked in. An Amity girl with tan skin and a mischievous grin ignored the Dauntless as she continued on her way to her faction.

"The factions system is a living being composed of cells; all of you. And the only way it can survive and thrive is for each of you to claim your rightful place. The future belongs to those who know where they belong." Jeanine spoke and made eye contact with several people. "Today is the day for you to choose."

Marcus Eaton spoke up as Jeanine walked off of the stage, "When you leave this room today, you will no longer be dependents, but full fledged members of our society. Faction Before Blood."

"Faction Before Blood." Everyone chorused immediately after him.

I zoned out not too long after that, only focusing again when my mother pinched my arm. I winced and apologized under my breath.

"Viviene Nelson." The Amity girl from before marched up the to Marcus and took the knife and sliced her palm. She didn't hesitate as she held her hand over the Dauntless bowl. "Dauntless." Her former faction made various sounds of outrage as she turned to the Dauntless and situated herself in a seat that a Dauntless man gave up for her.

"Dehliyra Seward." I blanched for a second before standing, father and mother standing with me, I caught Rowan's hand and gave it a tight squeeze before walking to the stage.

I passed by the Abnegation on my way up there and caught eyes with the woman whom had administered the serum to me. She smiled softly at me and I nodded in recognition.

Marcus spoke cordially to me when I stood before him, "Here you go." I didn't like this man one bit. It had been a few years ago when the Erudite had released an article about how he had beat his son causing him to defect.

'The same as me.'

I gripped the knife and turned to face the bowls. I didn't hesitate, I knew I wouldn't. I only paused to apologize silently to my brother before I faced the Dauntless bowl and cut. My blood dripped onto the coals and the smell of it burning filled my nose.

"Dauntless!"

Relief was all that I felt.

When I faced my new faction, they stood cheering for me, a smile quickly situated itself on my face. I didn't look back at my family to see the outrage that I knew would be on my Mother and Father's face.

A man that was so very large, ridiculously so, gripped my hand and shook it with a vigor that had laughter slipping past my lips. He directed me to the seat beside the girl, Viviene.

She smiled sweetly at me, "Nice going. Guess we will be initiates together. I'm Vivi."

I returned the smile and knew I couldn't keep my name, "I'm Liyra."

I was Dauntless.


	6. Chapter 5

_'Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars' ~ Khalil Gibran_

 **Unknown Time ~ Unknown Location**

We were running.

Vivi ran beside me, arms pumping as we ran in the middle of the Dauntless-born. Directly in front of me was a large boy, no man, in Amity clothes. I can't remember ever hearing of an Amity transferring to Dauntless, and now there were two of them. It is to my belief that a few feet in front of Vivi was the guy from Candor that I'd encountered during the tests.

We were transfers

I was Dauntless! With a whoop, I pushed my legs and I gained momentum, a huge feat considering the glossy heels I was wearing. My feet were a blur regardless and I was glad that I'd worn pants. My breath came in short pants of excitement; up ahead, the Dauntless were climbing the sides of the train tracks.

For a short moment, I couldn't help but think that this was insane. There was no logic behind endangering your life for a faction.

I loved it.

Grabbing hold of the bars, I began the task of climbing up the sides of the train tracks. My mind unwillingly drifted to thoughts of falling off the sides. At the height I was at, it would be my death.

With each step upward, I could feel my fear receding. I could feel Dehliyra receding. It was freeing, unbelievably so. I counted the bars that lay above me and was relieved to see I had four left to go. Then I would have to pull myself up and over the edge. That was a task that I didn't look forward to. I was lacking in the upper-strength department. Now my lower body muscles were exceptionally toned. That came with walking in the heels that I did.

I reached above me expecting to hit a rail and cursed softly when all I found was the ledge. I stood on the tips of my toes, not entirely willing to let go as my biceps started to burn almost immediately. I pulled with all my strength, the air in my lungs left in a whoosh from the strain that it brought.

"Need a hand?" I looked up and found a tanned hand reaching down like a savior. I groped the hand and allowed the body to hall me up and over.

"Thank you, I wouldn't have made that if it wasn't for you." I looked at the boy who had graciously helped me and was pleased to find the Candor boy from Test Day.

He was very handsome for the age of 16 and gave you the misconception that he was older from the way he held himself. He grinned at me showing off the dazzlingly straight teeth and adorable dimples that were set in his cheeks. His jaw was adorably, yet awkwardly, lopsided and he gave me this vibe of being a hyperactive puppy.

"Everyone needs a hand every once in a while. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't want to," he winked at me, "I'm Leon."

"Liyra." I replied with a confident smile.

"Everybody get ready!" A girl with turquoise hair shouted.

I could feel the balls of my feet vibrating and I looked further down the track and found the train coming towards us. Ahead of us, the Dauntless born began running down the sides of the track as the train pulled in, not bothering to slow down.

"They want us to jump." I said confidently, quickly taking a page out of the others book and running.

Again, running in heels, not as easy as it looked. I'm not entirely sure it even looked easy. I watched in fascination as a girl flung herself onto the side and hit a button that released all of the doors, pulling herself through it. Other bodies followed quickly behind and I gulped and didn't think, I just did.

My feet left the siding of the track and for the short second that I was weightless, I hollered in excitement. I'd jumped right through the door! Never mind the fact that instead of landing on my feet, I landed on my side, that was fantastically wonderful. A thought crossed my mind, telling me that I wanted to do that again.

Pulling myself to my feet, I grinned over at Leon whom had just pulled himself through the doorway, "How was that?" I asked.

"That was insane. It's a good thing I never wanted to be a normal guy."

"Indeed."

A girl that had transferred let out a cry as she stared out of the compartment, I felt my curiosity peek and walked over to the doorway to see what the problem was; with the speed of the train, I could only just see the image of a body on the ground that we sped away from. The first transfer to fail initiation. I shut my eyes, desperate to erase the image of the body and pool of blood from my mind.

"He never would have made it." I looked over to Leon and raised an eyebrow, "I knew him, he lived several houses down from me. He was better suited for Amity rather than Dauntless. He was pathetic, weak." He spoke the words as if he was explaining that the sky was blue. One of the Candor quirks; the words weren't spoken with derision, but with honesty.

As the wind in the compartment picked up, I crouched down on the floor still by the open doorway. In the distance I could see Millennium Park full of small children in Erudite blue. The sight brought my mind to my younger brother. My breath caught in my throat as I realized he was at home with no protection. I shut my eyes.

Would that beat him like they did me. Would they?

"Are you kidding me?!" Leon groaned from beside me, "We have to jump off?"

"I guess so." I stood with the others and watched the other transfers as they ran forward and jumped, watched the angle their knees were at, tried to establish the amount of momentum they were putting forth to land on the roof across from the train. Then I jumped.

I landed on my stomach, the air sucked right from lungs. I stood up and brushed the rocks that had embed themselves into my palm away. I glanced around and watched the other initiates jumping, one not even making it onto the roof. His screams reaching us as he fell.

I felt no remorse. Just less competition in the end.

When the last initiates feet touched the pavement, a man that stood on top of the ledge began to shout, "Everyone gather round!" I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. To put this in simple terms, he was gorgeous. He was tall and buff, tattoos littered his neck and arms, two microdermals set above his eyebrow. I knew him, but from where? "My name is Eric, I'm one of the leaders here at Dauntless," he broke off and took the time to make eye contact with a few of us, "several stories below us is the members' entrance to our compound. If you can't get the nerve to jump, you don't belong with us. Plain and simple. I'd hurry and decide who is going to be the first. I don't have much patience." He smirked at us.

Off to the right, Vivi took a step forward and shed some of the layers of clothes she wore. Her eyes met mine and she winked, "Might as well." She jumped onto the ledge and glanced over at Eric, "What's at the bottom?"

"Guess you'll have to find out, Amity." A sneer appeared on his face, it made him no less attractive.

"I guess I will." Taking a huge breath, she stepped off. I watched in fascination as her body succumbed in the darkness of the hole that swallowed her up. A grin spread across my face and I took a step forward.

"What's this? I'm ashamed to say that the Dauntless born are to chicken shit to jump before a Nose and a dirty, smelly, Hippie." I smirked, not bothering to take offense to the term.

I removed my heels, I wasn't going to stand on a ledge with these babies on. I hopped up on the ledge and glanced over at the attractive man, Eric, and spoke, "I'm not a Nose anymore, babe." I jumped off.

The whistled in my ears and my stomach clawed its way into my throat. Did I mention that heights may or may not terrify me now? A scream tried to tear its way from my throat, not succeeding at all, it just sat there and it hurt.

I hit something hard, a net, and finally a sound escaped me. A laugh spilled from my lips. I rolled over to pull myself out and was surprised to find Vivi helping the others pull the net down. She grinned widely at me, "Was that fun or what?"

"Or what." I replied breathlessly. Laughter boomed around me and I shook my head as a man approached.

"Name?" He asked me.

"Liyra, my name is Liyra."

"2nd jumper is Liyra!" The man shouted to the surrounding Dauntless. They cheered loudly, the sound echoing in the tunnels around us.

I'd made it.


	7. Chapter 6

_'Never was anything great achieved without danger' ~ Niccolo Machiavaelli_

 **14:00 hours ~ Dauntless Compound**

"Dauntless-born, you go with Lauren. Transfers, you're with me." The man paused for a second as everyone remained milling about, "Go!"

"Alright, everyone! My name is Tris and this is Four. We both work in Intelligence, except for now." The man, Four, glared at a Candor from the back of the group that had been talking and she instantly shut her mouth. "Everyone, follow us and keep up."

I glanced over at Leon and he rolled his eyes and shrugged. He jerked his head signaling that we should follow. He, Vivi, and I walked behind Tris and Four keeping a swift pace to keep up. The hulking man from Amity fell into line with us.

"Hi Jericho!" Vivi chirped happily a devious little smirk covering her painted lips.

Jericho. What a strange name, but it certainly fit with his build. He was hulk of a man. Tall, blonde, extremely muscular- he looked like a flick of his fingers could break me in half. He glanced towards me and his lips lifted up at the corner in a cute little smile. I'm sure my cheeks turned pink.

"Vivi," he replies, "who are your friends?" Vivi smirked up at him, yes up. She is a midget compared to him.

"This is Leon," she points to me, "and this is..."

"Liyra. I'm Liyra." Vivi raises an eyebrow in my direction and waggles her eyebrows.

Jericho fist bumps Leon and tosses a large arm around my shoulder, "Pleasure to meet ya, Liyra."

 **14:15 hours ~ Initiate Quarters**

We'd just entered this large area with beds, Four and Tris turn to us and Tris has this tiny little smirk covering her face. "This is where you'll be sleeping for the next ten weeks," she tells us.

"All of us?" I speak up.

She turns her eyes on me and considers me for a few seconds, "Problem?" She asks me as if she's daring me to fight over it. "You like this, you'll love the bathrooms."

My heart jumps into my throat, everyone would see my scars, the fresh bruises- they'd see me. I cover for my hesitation by turning to tease Leon.

"Candor should feel right at home; what with everything being out in the open." I say and nudge him with my elbow. He flips me a finger that we'd never dared to show at Erudite.

"You all need to get dressed, burn your clothes, and then meet us for dinner." Four tells us taking over for instructions. I tilt my head to the side as his hand glides to the center of Tris' back. Curious, I'd have to watch that.

I walked unsteadily to the clothes bin and reached in to search for the size closest to mine. Nothing fancy, just a tight black long-sleeve shirt and tight black pants along with combat boots. I found a bed towards the back to lay claim to. Vivi, Jericho, and Leon following along. I could keep my back towards the wall so no one would see them, but there is the trouble of my front.

I'd start with my pants and work my way up. Everyone else was already getting started and here I am standing around acting like an idiot. Leon's eyebrows furrowed and his cocked to the side. The image of a puppy popping in the forefront of my mind. I shook my head and quickly slipped my pants off, hurriedly slipping and pulling on the black pants. I let out a sigh of slight relief.

A giant shadow overtook my frame and I glanced up to see a shirtless Jericho standing in front of me. "I'll block you." He tells me softly and turns around. I bite my lip to hide the smile that threatened to break out.

"Thank you." I whisper to him once I was all changed. He didn't reply except for a nod in recognition.

 **18:30 hours ~ Cafeteria**

"I have to say that Dauntless cake is all that it is made out to be and more." Leon voices from his seat across from me. "Hey Liyra, what's Erudite's special food?" He looks up at me with a curious expression covering his face.

"Drink."

"Huh?"

"A drink. Well, I guess curry could be considered our specialty, but really it is our lemon lime fizzy drink." I tell him.

"Curry. Why curry?" Vivi questions me.

"It's to stimulate your brain. The spices send transmitters to your brain and it helps to regenerate brain cells." I inform him almost robotically.

"Thought you said you weren't a nose anymore, babe." A voice says sarcastically from my right.

I glance over to see Eric standing there arms crossed and as sexy as ever. I smirk up at him, "Old habit's die hard." I told him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Four and Tris along with a dark skinned girl watching us, as if they were waiting for something. A fight maybe?

"You want to survive here, Nose?" He raised an eyebrow and a sadistic twist curved his lips into a somewhat bitter smile, "drop the fucking old habits. You're not Erudite anymore."

I clinch my jaw and say through a false smile, "Believe me, I know."

"Good. I'd hate to patrol the Factionless sector and see your pretty face out there with them."

"As a Dauntless leader, I doubt you do anything aside from terrorizing initiates or Faction Relations." I snapped without thinking. I bit my lip, refusing to flinch away like I really wanted.

His eyes were a blaze of fire. It sparked and it was enough for me to feel the burn. Four stood from his sit not doubt getting ready to intervene. Eric leaned down so we were almost nose to nose, "I think, you should watch your mouth. Wouldn't want to mistake you for a Candor." He turned and left. I watched him in shock, eyes going down to the shift of his ass. I giggled and shook my head and turned around.

Leon, Vivi, and Jericho were all in varying degrees of shock. "He has a nice ass." I said. The sounds of our laughter echoed around the room. Four returned to his seat, eyes curious. I think I just put myself on two different radars for two very different reasons.

"You, I like you." Jericho spoke between booming laughs.

I could feel eyes burning into the back of my head. It took everything in me to not turn and stare right back.


	8. Chapter 7

_'Perhaps I am stronger than I think' ~ Thomas Merton_

 **21:30 hours ~ The Pit**

"Some ground rules," Eric shouts to the room full of tired initiates. "You have to be in the training room by eight o'clock every day. Training takes place every day from eight to six, with a break for lunch. You are free to do whatever you like after six. You will also get some time off between each stage of initiation."

The idea of free time wasn't strange to an Erudite, not like it was for a Stiff, but my free time at home consisted of hiding away in my room with Rowan to avoid punishment from Mother and Father. I have absolutely no idea what hobbies I enjoy or even what my preference in music or clothes would be.

Four takes a step forward so that he isn't standing behind Eric. They shoot each other a glare that held enough malice to make the transfer in front of me move away. Wimp.

"You are only permitted to leave the compound when accompanied by a Dauntless," Eric adds, not once breaking eye contact with Four. Tris rolls her eyes at Eric's back. Something about her rubs me the wrong way. "In the first stage of initiation, we keep transfers and Dauntless-born initiates separate, but that doesn't mean you are evaluated separately. At the end of initiation, your rankings will be determined in comparison with the Dauntless-born. They are better than you are already. So I expect-"

"Rankings?!" A small Erudite transfer, whose name I think is Ida, squeaks. Eric turns an absolutely menacing glare on the small thing and she quivers in fear. "Why are we ranked?" she manages to squeak out.

A dark smile crosses Eric's face, in the light of the pit, it has a sinister edge. Dangerous. My stomach clenches and I subtly squeeze my thighs together. Jericho shoots me an amused look. Apparently it wasn't subtle enough.

"Your ranking serves two purposes," Four speaks, "The first is that it determines the order in which you will select a job after initiation. There aren't many desirable positions, and the best go to the top ranked."

"Such as?" I speak up.

"Leadership positions." Tris says.

"The second purpose," Eric speaks up again, "is that only the top fifteen initiates are made members."

Ida gasps in horror at the prospect, "That should have been mentioned!" she shouts.

"Why? Would you have chosen differently?" Eric spits, "You chose us," he looks at a certain few of us-his eyes come to a stop on me, "now we get to choose you."

"Sounds fair enough." I nod my head at him. Tris shoots me a nasty glare, like she couldn't believe that I would say something like that. Suck it up princess.

"What?" Ida says to me incredulously.

"Oh shut up." Jericho tells her. "If you can't handle it maybe you should have stayed at Erudite, maybe you'd be better off as a Stiff." I snicker at him in amusement. Leon shakes his head.

"Why don't you leave her alone man." Taylor, a transfer from Candor, says.

"There are eleven Dauntless-born here, and nine of you," Four cuts in before things could escalate. "Four initiates will be cut at the end of stage one. The remainder will unfortunately be cut after the final test."

My odds, though not the best, were okay. If I was paired up with transfers like Ida or the tiny initiate Isobel, I'd slaughter the competition. Paired up with Jericho, odds are I'd be down for the count.

Vivi glances at me and nudges me with her elbow, I refuse to look away from Eric. He and I have been engaged in a staring contest of sorts for a minute or so. I wouldn't be the first to look away. To do so would be to show that I was submissive. I would no longer allow someone to have that kind of pull on me again. It's why I transferred.

"What do we do if we're cut." Vivi asks.

"You leave the Dauntless compound," Eric says indifferently, breaking eye contact with me. I smirk victoriously, "and you live factionless."

Ida claps a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob. The Factionless were disgusting creatures. The few of them that had actually managed to make their way to Millenium Park would stalk around and steal from the young children. They would terrify the young ones with their torn clothes, greasy hair, and yellowed teeth.

The Abnegation were foolish for thinking that they didn't need to be controlled. These people were dangerous. I wouldn't end up like them.

 **08:00 hours ~ Training Center**

"The first thing you will learn today is how to shoot a gun. The second thing is how to win a fight." Tris hands me a gun. "Thankfully, if you are here, you already know how to get on and off a moving train, so I don't need to teach you that."

Initiates around me shuffled there feet and yawned once or twice to wake up. I was alert and ready, it's incredibly foolish to not be fully aware when you're holding a loaded gun in your hands.

"Initiation is divided into three stages," Tris shouted, "We will measure your progress and rank you according to your performance in each stage. The stages are not weighed equally in determining your final rank, so it is possible, though difficult, to drastically improve your rank over time. I should know." That last part was said lowly to herself.

I narrowed my eyes at her in thought. She was a Stiff before she transferred here. Her brother, Caleb, had transferred to Erudite. The Prior's were subjected to scrutiny from Erudite as well as Candor when a article was released to a newspaper about how corrupt Abnegation was. I wouldn't have believed it if it weren't for the fact that a couple years prior to this incident, a report was released about Tobias Eaton and how his father had beat him.

It'd be ignorant of me to not take into account that Erudite had a deep-seeded hatred for the Abnegation.

I glance down at the cold metal in my hand and get a good grip on it. If I wanted to impress today, I needed to have a way to hold it without looking like an idiot first. Leon nudged me with his elbow and demonstrated a way that would be comfortable for me. When I copied his stance, it felt about right.

"We believe that preparation eradicates cowardice, which we define as the failure to act in the midst of fear-" Tris is cut off by Eric marching into the room. His presence alone called for attention.

"Therefore each stage of initiation is intended to prepare you in a different way." Tris' face took on a sour edge at being interrupted by him. For some reason, I don't think she enjoys his company to much. Please, note the sarcasm. "The first stage is primarily physical; the second, primarily emotional; the third, mental."

"The second task will use the fear serum?" Jericho steps up beside me and drapes an arm over my shoulder.

"Yes." Eric says shortly, expression unreadable. His eyes zeroed in on Jericho's arm, he raises an eyebrow. "I'd ask Tris to give you a demonstration on how to properly fire a gun, but I don't think she can do that. Never got the hang of it, Stiff." The lines around her eyes hardened.

"Oh, please. Served me well enough, if I recall correctly." She says testily. Four comes up behind her and places a hand on her shoulder, his jaw clenched tightly. Eric smirks at them and walks steadily over to a table with six guns set across them.

Picking one up, he walks over to a white line that stretches across the room and prepares himself. He lifts both arms and he cocks the hammer to the gun. His feet are shoulder length apart, his body tightly coiled. His body is lean with muscle mass, and the power set in his shoulders sends a strange heat to my gut. He steadies himself and pulls the trigger. The bang sends my ears ringing and I involuntarily flinch into Jericho's side. My eyes widen when I see that his bullet landed in the dead center of his target.

"Get to it." Eric calls out to us.

I walk to the line and set my feet apart instantly. Vivi stands beside me and a huge smile begins to stretch across her face, "This, this is going to be fun."

"Shooting a target?" I say amused.

"Shooting a gun." She smirks at me and begins firing.

I lift my hands quickly to begin and grit my teeth at the weight the gun holds. This, it wasn't going to be easy. I cock the hammer and set my eyes on the target. Taking a huge breath, I pull the trigger. The recoil sends me back a step and I have to lock my arms to prevent the gun from coming back and hitting me in the face. I stare at the target to see if I hit, I let out a curse when I find that it has embedded itself in the wall next to the target.

"Good first try." Vivi says approvingly.

"I didn't hit the damn thing, Vi." I hiss, irritated.

"Neither did I." She points at the wall. Hers was farther away than mine had been. "Oops." She says teasingly. I roll my eyes at her good-natured.

I turned back to my target and I clenched my jaw tightly. I would hit my target. Now that I knew the force of the recoil and the weight of the gun, maybe I could calculate the trajectory of the bullet with the weight that gravity put on it? I brought my hands back up and fired off three rounds. None of them hit.

I glanced to see how Vivi was doing and was shocked to see she'd hit the outer edge of the board. She sent me a small grin, "You'll get it eventually." Her voice held promise.

"You're aiming to far to the left." I spun around and face myself face to chest with Eric. I tilted my head up to look him in the eye. He smirked down at me, "Turn around and aim." I did. He nudged my feet apart with his boot and one hand went to my stomach, "more tension here." He moved my hand to the right about an inch. "Imagine that you're pointing at it."

"Are you trying to feel up on me?" I asked teasingly as his hand on my stomach drifted up. Laughter was his response.

"Feeling up on a Nose?" he laughs loudly, "Shoot." I breathed slowly and fired the weapon.

Holy shit! I'd actually done it!

"Remember what I said. Just imagine that you're pointing at it." He stalked off and stood off just to the right of Ida. I smirked as he started picking on her, "God, you couldn't hit a tree if it was right in front of you!"

"You need a cold shower?"

"Huh?" I stared at Jericho in confusion.

"A shower? After him touching you." He smiles down at me and waggled his eyebrows, "You so want to fuck him." I snorted in disbelief.

"Sure, that's totally it." Yes, I was attracted to him. Any female with eyes could see that he is easy to look at. He certainly is high up on my list of men that I'd seen in Dauntless so far. In fact, he was at the very top. "He certainly is attractive." I conceded when Jericho started making kissy faces at me.

"He has a nice ass." Vivi stated with a shimmy of her chest.

"You could bounce a nickel off of it." With both turned to look at Jericho with wide eyes. What the actual hell? "What, I'm agreeing with you." Our laughter distracted the other initiates in the room.

"Get back to shooting!" Four shouts.

Tris appears out of nowhere and stands behind us, "what's so funny?" She raises an eyebrow.

"Just discussing what we'd like to do to Eric's ass." I said simply. She choked in disbelief and began sputtering. I clapped a hand on her back and she slapped my hand away. I held my hands up in surrender.

"Get back to shooting."

Oh yes, she doesn't like us. I can tell already.


	9. Chapter 8

_"If you shoot me again, you best pray I'm dead" ~ Daryl Dixon_

 **05:30 hours - Initiates Quarters**

"How the hell am I gonna get up this early and still look flawless?!" Leon and I rolled our eyes at Vivi's diva behavior. I've only known her for a short period of time and I can already tell she's a huge diva. Something that I haven't ever been, but standing here next to her - I find myself taking more interest in the way that I look.

Plus, there is the fact that this entire Faction has loads of large, brutal, sexy men.

"I don't really see a difference in your appearance, Amity." Leon mouths off jokingly.

"Oh! You want to go Candor?" She walks forward and shoves Leon's shoulders. I snicker escapes my lips and I nudge her with my elbow.

"Best teach him a lesson, Vi." She nods her head.

Vivi scoffs, "Don't you worry your pretty little head. I got this Liyra."

I share a silly smile with Jericho over the spirited Vivi.

 **06:00 hours - Training Center**

"Today, we're going to teach you how to fight, " Four breaks off, glancing around the room to see if we were all here, "the purpose of this is to prepare you to act; here in Dauntless, keeping a level head in a dangerous situation is what is going to keep you alive."

I tilt my head sideways as he gets into a stance, "today we're just going to show you the stances, ways to protect yourself, and to prepare. Tomorrow, you get in the ring and fight." Tris says, her face was cold and closed off. She had the emotional capacity of a dead fish. Meaning - no emotion at all.

Jericho took position beside me, his eyes focused solely on Four. Four's feet were spread apart, left foot forward with his right foot in the back. He's right-handed; in a fight, Four would jab with his left hand and his right hand would hold the power. His knees remained bent slightly, tension in his stomach. I watched in fascination as Tris took her stance, her fists closer to her face so that she could defend better.

We watched, completely transfixed as they began to fight. They taught us the simplest of blows you could think of. I get the feeling if you want to be at the top, you'll have to fight dirty. This is something to consider if you don't want to end up Factionless.

Ida grimaced as Tris threw a punch at Four's throat, he stumbles back clutching his throat. "If you're small," Tris says, eyes locked on Ida's, "go for the throat. It will get you the upper hand."

I know it wouldn't be fair to not help out the weaker initiates, but I feel like Tris is the one who would go after the bigger initiates to take them out. She'd do that using the smaller initiates.

I tilted my head once Four regained his bearings and went after Tris. He placed a well-aimed punch to her sternum and Tris was down for the count.

"I really hope that you payed attention." Four announces. "Start practicing." He shouts and walks over to help Tris.

I walked over to the punching bags, Vivi and Leon flanking me on both sides and Jericho on the other side of Leon. I took up my fighting stance, left foot forward and threw a punch. My hand stung from where it hit. My immediate thought was that I did something wrong.

Yes, I'd just punched a giant sack full of sand, but it was incredibly uncomfortable. I watched Jericho and how his fists were set, if he felt any discomfort, his face held no signs.

Vivi shared a look with me, obviously we were both acknowledging and appreciating his huge ass biceps. Boy, were those puppies drool worthy.

"Your thumb shouldn't be tucked like that." I tried not to show how startled that I was that Jericho had caught me watching him.

"Sorry?" I squeaked out. Why do I have to be so awkward? I cleared my throat, "what did you say?"

He flashes me this completely breathtaking grin that has my pulse fluttering from how damn adorable it was. "Your thumb." He sticks his hand out to show me the correct positioning, "You had it tucked inside of your fist. Keep that up, you'll break your thumb in an actual fight."

Well, it was nice of our instructors to mention that. I try out the new positioning and throw another punch, this time backing it up with my right fist. It felt more comfortable.

"Thanks Jericho." I send him my sweetest smile I can muster. His eyelids flutter and pink creeps up the back of his neck as he returns the smile.

"Yeah, no problem."

 **20:00 hours - Dauntless Cafeteria**

At dinner that night, we're crowding around the table and shoveling as much food into our mouths as we can. The sore muscles and aching bones did nothing to diminish our appetites after the day we'd had. Just from this short time frame, I'd managed to shove half of a hamburger and frys into my mouth that had previously been handed to me.

Second day of Dauntless training and I'm already physically and emotionally drained. I could only hope that it was because of my previous nonexistent practice in the art of combat and that as time went on, it would get easier. To be honest, my arms feel like limp spaghetti noodles and my legs had trembled on our trek to the Pit.

Despite all of the drawbacks, I'd never been happier. Just this short time of being free of the tight grasp of Erudite and been in the brutally welcoming arms of Dauntless, I'd felt a weightlessness I'd never experienced before.

The friendships that had already begun to form between Vivi, Leon, Jericho, and I was stronger than any bond I'd had before. It was nice not having to fear them. They weren't my Mother or Father. They were friends.

That's something that I'd always dreamed of having, as pathetic as that sounded. I would be happy here.

My eyes caught those of a certain Dauntless leader and I felt a surge of curiosity in my gut. I wanted to know him. What made him tic... I'd already listened to this spiel from Christina, a Dauntless member who had joined the year before and the Dauntless-born Instructor, about how much of a psychopath he was.

I didn't want to listen to just one person who was biased. I wanted to form my own opinion.

And so I would.


	10. Chapter 9

_**'Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning' ~Erwin Rommel**_

 **18:30 hours - The Pit**

 _Duck._

 _Dodge._

 _Defend._

 _Defeat._

I ducked a fist that Taylor had clumsily thrown towards my face. His posture was all wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. It invariably annoyed me; the instructors specifically pulled him and four other initiates aside to help them with defense and attack.

He obviously retained none of that information.

I dodged a kick that would have landed at the top of my thigh. He hasn't taken any time to study me, like I was doing him. His hands guarded his chest, leaving his face and throat wide open for the taking. He, no doubt, assumed that because of my stature I wouldn't be able to reach that high.

I took a blow to the shoulder in hopes that he would gain confidence, start hitting and actually grow a pair. When Four had paired Taylor and I off for a fight, I'd been hoping for a challenge. I couldn't improve and test myself if the person I was using as a variable in my test was weak!

He gave away where he was going to move or where he was planning to attack. His eyes would flicker towards the area several times, he'd place one foot forward, and then I'd defend, deflect whatever pathetic blow, and place one of my own.

I grew tired of playing around quickly. The quicker I ended this fight, I'd gain more points in my favor. I threw my fist into his stomach to drop his guard, he'd protect that area and I'd go in for the kill.

One of my hands flattened itself out and then I curled the tips of my finger in. A palm strike. With a force that wasn't as hard as I'd like, I shoved the palm of my hand into his nose. The bridge of his nose collapsed inward from the pressure and Taylor dropped all pretense of guarding himself.

The palm strike is slightly more efficient than a normal fist punch. It's more relaxed. This is because when your hand is fisted, it shortens the extensor muscles in your wrist which counters the act of flexor muscles in your wrist.

Shuffling so I was slightly behind him, I brought him to the ground with a kick placed to the back of his knee.

I was quick in wrapping my one arm around his neck and pressing the other to keep his head to lock it.

To clarify something, I don't enjoy this. I spent a good 15 minutes psyching myself up and telling myself that I can't be weak anymore. That by backing down I would be giving in. My way of pushing past it, picture it as my father. It brings me a sick satisfaction to imagine beating the crap out of that asshole.

The crowd claps slowly, Ida's face was horrified at the mess I'd reduced her friend to in under 8 minutes. I dropped him quickly when he quit fighting me.

He was out cold.

"Looks like Liyra wins." Tris said, her voice filled with disappointment do to one of her 'underdogs' losing.

"Don't look so surprised, Stiff." Eric called from by a pillar, "The idiot underestimated her."

Why does he look disappointed?

22:45 hours ~ The Chasm

"I feel like we need to make this feel more permanent." Vivi says to us that night.

"What do you mean?" Leon questions curiously.

"We should get tattoos, piercings, dye our hair maybe!" Vivi squeals in excitement.

I ponder the idea of dying my hair for a few seconds. It was no secret that I looked exactly like my Mother, right down to the hair, the eyes, the nose, the complexion. I am basically a carbon copy of the woman only with a different personality, and I'm younger. It pains me to think that I share the same DNA as that woman.

I pick up a small piece of my hair. I could dye it brown, then I'd share more with Rowan. Or dying it black, then it would look greasy 97% of the time. I wouldn't seeing the point in dying it ginger, but red or auburn on the other hand.

"Okay, I'm in." I told Vivi, my voice quiet.

"So how about you Jericho? Gonna cut that luscious mane and get something easier to deal with?" Vivi clapped her hands together.

"I think he should buzz it on the sides." I told her, lifting my hand up to brush part of it behind his ear and flatten it against his head. I look at her and she studies him curiously for several seconds. "Military buzz is what the original term is."

I look at Jericho, his eyes lock with mine and I'm overwhelmed with butterflies in my stomach. His eyes are beautiful. "Why is it necessary that I cut my hair?" A little grin takes hold of his face.

"Dude, ya look like a hippie. No amount of tattoos and piercings could take away that image if you keep that long ass hair." Leon laughs loudly.

"I'm from Amity." Jericho says slowly.

"Unless you start growing a beard, you're gonna make people think you're still in Amity." Leon tells him bluntly.

"Fine, I'll cut it shorter and buzz the sides off." He looks at me for confirmation.

I just smile shyly and nod.

23:00 hours ~ Volt Cuts

I dyed my hair purple. I'd marched right up to the counter and told the girl I wanted to dye it and when she asked what color, I'd intended to say brown, but I said purple instead.

She hadn't been shocked, she'd smiled and muttered, "initiates," under her breath.

I hadn't cut it. I didn't have it in me to cut hair that was one of my best assets. I just got her to make it more edgy. Less Erudite, more Dauntless.

When she went to start, I had this little thought of stopping her. Then my father's voice echoed in my head calling me spineless. I'd straightened my shoulders and had sat as still as possible as she went to applying the smelly goop.

In the end I was happy, it was almost a pastel purple and it was beautiful.

"I thought for a second you would back out." The woman said cheekily. "You got balls, Erudite. I'm Tazer." She told me holding a fist out.

I stared down at it questioningly before holding mine out as well. She snorted before bumping them together. "I'm Liyra."

"Well Liyra, now that we're on a first name basis. Feel free to share with me who the delicious little hippie is." My mind immediately went to Jericho and a part of me wanted to turn and back away, but my mind processed the 'little' part of her sentence.

To make sure, I asked slowly, "which one?"

She tossed her head back exposing her throat and the tendons in it stretched along with the laughter, "Well not the guy that's for damn sure." Relief flowed through me momentarily before bumping my shoulder with hers.

"That little hippie is Vivi." Tazer gives her a once over while licking her lips

"Excuse me while I go work my magic. Come back and see me Liyra, I want to see what pink would like in your hair."

"Sure thing."


	11. Chapter 10

_**'Humour is by far the most significant activity of the human brain' ~ Edward de Bono**_

 **23:00 hours - The Chasm**

"She's absolutely gorgeous! And for a second I thought she was coming to talk to me, but then she struts right up to Vivi," Leon makes an explosion movement with his hands, "there went my dreams. Thanks for being so damn hot Vivi." Leon meant it jokingly, but Vivi obviously felt bad for some reason. Her Amity background maybe?

"I'm so sorry! I'm not even interested in her! Or women in general!" Vivi squeaks and one hand closes around her throat in a show of anxiety. "I'm so sorry!" Leon laughs, his face dimples in the cute way that it does. He closes in around her, arms wrapping around her waist.

"Don't worry about it, Vi! I'm only playing with you." Vivi glares at him, a cute little pout appearing across her lips.

"You jerk," she slaps his arm, "I thought you were actually upset with me!"

"No, I'm not upset," he lets go of her and holds his hands out in a placating gesture. "You good?" She nods her head slowly. "Good."

09:30 hours - Training Room

"Keep your arms up!" Four shouts at the tiny Erudite initiate, Ida.

I watch as she pathetically tries to protect her face from an erratic Vivi. She was vicious, a war goddess who was an extreme force to be reckoned with. Earlier on, Ida had clawed down the side of Vivi's face, the gouges clashed with her natural beauty. I knew, without a doubt, that they would scar. Vivi hadn't been as rough at the beginning; she'd held back there for a while. Once she'd pinned Ida down, she'd freaked and had raked her nails down her face. That had turned the tide.

I watched in fascination as she kicked Ida's feet out from under her and pounced on her. She pinned Ida's hands above her with her left fist and started wailing on her. She hit and hit and hit. "Come on Ida! Fight back!" Vivi spat at her, a dark grin twisted across her face. Ida responded with a pitiful cry.

All I could think of was my father repeating those same words to me. I flinched away and took several steps away from the mat. A hand touched my shoulder causing me to gasp and grab blindly for it. I turned and found Jericho's eyes staring back at me, lips twisted down into a frown. I blinked several times to clear the treacherous tears from my eyes. "Are you alright?" Jericho whispers to me softly. I only realized that I'm shaking when he grasps my arms.

God, I must look so weak.

"I'm fine, I just... those lines on her face." It was a weak excuse, I knew that. The look on his face lets me know that he doesn't believe me. He's no Candor, but my guard is down. My walls are down. I'm an open book in this state. I take a deep breath, "They're ghastly."

"They will heal," he knows that isn't my problem, but it's the fact of the matter.

"To a certain degree. Those will remain a blemish on her face for the rest of her life." I jump as Ida cries out. Vivi brings her fist back one last time, Ida's eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"Vivi wins." Tris bites out, she walks over to the board and circles her name. "Leon, escort Vivi to the infirmary. Get something on those scratches."

Scratches. Right.

Vivi smiles at me, eyes full of pain, cheek tugging painfully at the cuts, "Do I look badass?"

"Yeah, Vi. You look tragically menacing." I tell her softly. We watch as Leon leads her out of the room, Four following closely behind with a limp Ida.

"Next up, Michal and Liyra."

10:00 hours - Infirmary

I ended up in the infirmary with Ida and Vivi. I didn't win this fight. My left eye was completely swollen shut. Michal had caught me with a lucky left hook and I'd been out like a light. I learned much from my fight, yet I learned nothing at all. It's a contradiction. What I really need is someone more experienced to spar with.

I can't very well go up to Four and Tris with pleas of help. I doubt Tris would even help me!

Jericho and Leon have both offered to help, which is something. They're big and muscular, but again, they don't have the experience that say... Eric does. He's a Dauntless leader! One of the youngest, but he had to get there somehow!

Of course there were the rumors. About how he had to buy and bribe his way to the top, of how the position was originally Four's. For some reason, I don't believe he bribed his way to the top.

In the end it doesn't matter, he holds the power here.

16:00 hours - Roof of Dauntless Compound

"You will meet us here tomorrow morning at exactly 06:00. A minute later and you'll find your points cut in half and yourself benched for the rest of the day." Eric shouts to the group.

"What will we be doing?" Leon asks him curiously, head tilted to the side.

Eric sighs in agitation, "I guess you'll have to wait and see." We all stand around for a few seconds, not really sure what we're supposed to be doing. "What are you standing around for? Go!" He points to the door. We scatter like bugs, practically rushing towards the exit. The closest door leads down into the Pire.

The Pire is where all of the leaders and higher up officials reside. It was the nicest looking place in the entire compound admittedly.

It was also the most dangerous. The walkway was treacherously steep and if you slipped, it would be to your death. Need I remind you of my recently developed fear of heights, but this is the last place that I wish to be walking. I wish there was a shorter, less deadly route, but every route in the compound is pretty scary.

"What's the matter, nose? Scared of a little height?" Eric's voice cut through my inner terror. He walked towards me slowly; his steps were even. He reminded me briefly of a deadly predator, a black panther stalking his prey.

"No. I'm scared of falling to my death," I responded calmly.

A dark smirk spreads across his face. For just a second, I'm struck with how beautiful he is. I didn't think it was possible to describe a man as beautiful but he's one. "You'll need to get over that. That is if you want to stay here in Dauntless."

"Hey, Liyra! You coming? We're going to Volt Cuts." Jericho approaches from behind, his arm going around my waist. I glance up at him with curiosity. He smiles down at me and for the second time in the span of five minutes, I'm saying just how beautiful a man is. It's almost impossible to explain.

Being in the presence of these two men has my heart picking up to a swift pace. "I was just explaining to her if she wants to make it in Dauntless she has to ignore her fear," Eric looks at Jericho and then to the arm around my waist, "but it looks like she has you to protect her from all the big bads hiding around the corner." I bristle at his veiled insult. "Does that include me?" He's actually taunting us right now!

"What makes you think I want protecting from you?" I realize how backwards that came out, but I realize that I didn't want protection from him. I'd rather the opposite.

"She can protect herself," Jericho jumps in. "She's pretty damn good at it." That was whispered under his breath-but directed at me no less. I tip my head back and look him in the eye.

With a shock straight to my nervous system, I realize he must know.

He has to.

"Watch yourself, Amity. Don't get cocky over a win and an almost win. This is still just the first stage, I could still cut you."


End file.
